It was March 1912, and a man named John Lane had purchased a box plant in Altavista, Virginia. His son Ed Lane, twenty-one at the time and with little manufacturing experience, was encouraged by his father to try his hand at starting a chest factory in the newly acquired plant. Since the Lanes didn't know how successful their new venture was going to be, they didn't want to put their name on it, so they incorporated the little company as the Standard Red Cedar Chest Company, with John Lane as President and Ed Lane as Vice President and General Manager. From cedar chests, Lane expanded to occasional tables in 1951, casegoods in 1956, and accent pieces in 1965.

In 1972, Lane bought a small reclining chair company in Tupelo, Mississippi named Action Industries. Action Industries was founded in 1970 by Bo Bland and Mickey Holliman. Action sustained tremendous growth through gains in market share and product diversification over the next 20 years becoming a major force in the upholstered furniture industry. Today, the wood and upholstered divisions have become Lane Home Furnishings. Lane Furniture Industries is owned by Furniture Brands International which also owns other well known brand name companies . . . Broyhill, Thomasville, Drexel Heritage and Maitland Smith.